Let the Bible Change You.

by David Ritchie
Published July 22, 2005

I wonder how many times we open our bibles and expect that what we read is going to change our lives. For those of us who have become Christians, a moment came when we experienced a change of owner ship in our lives as we transferred from being under the ownership of the devil to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Many have made that step then seem to camp 'just inside the door', however I tend to think that God expects change in our lives. Like one man I knew used to say "Today's light becomes tomorrows law." Mostly that light comes from the written word of God, although it may be backed by a prophetic word or a word of knowledge, etc.

At a time when I owned a shop, God convicted me about selling cigarettes, through the preaching of his word. Before I actually put up the notice, 'we no longer sell cigarettes', there was several times that this conviction was backed up through spiritual gifts. That was quite a change and caused some stir in that little corner where I was trying to make a living and live for Jesus. All changes are not as dramatic as that, however when we read God's word we should always expect it to change us, for it is not only history, it is instruction. Psalm 119 v 105 states "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Speaking of change, while the bible never changes, there is a tremendous change in the expectations of people today than in my young day. When I got saved as a sixteen year old in 1961 the changes people in my circle looked for were;
* No more football matches
* No more picture houses
* No more snooker halls
* No dancing
* No drinking alcohol
* No novels or comics
* Wear a suit on Sunday (and any other day I went to church).

Some of these are good and I still pursue them today, however there was very little to fill the gap left by these interests. Changes like;
* Life in the Spirit
* Missions
* Witnessing to unbelievers
* Taking the gospel to those in darkness
* Fellowship with those in other denominations
* Being filled with the Spirit,
these changes were rarely encouraged or discussed.

Nevertheless in that environment I learned a healthy fear of God that has never left me and although it was a few years later that I got saved, I thank God for these early experiences which were part of my path to God, and have helped shape my life ever since.

Today things have changed dramatically as I attend a vibrant church with as many under 25's as over 25's, with music that lifts the heart and touches the soul. Where children wave flags and enjoy the time of singing and praising, and are not embarrassed to lay down their flags and kneel in worship when they feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes on a Sunday night there are so many faces that I do not even know, including people with addictions in various stages of rehabilitation, and some who have not started on the path of rehabilitation.

Many a table has been furnished from the food cupboard that is kept filled by the congregation. Babies and young mums too gain from the 'baby boxes' that is another ministry of the church.

Friday night is the night when around 150 'non churched 'children attend a programme called Power House Kids Club; this is church to them. They laugh, sing, play games, form friendships, and in a simple way worship God.

All change however is not necessarily good, change needs to be well thought through and major life changes should never be made while a person is in a crisis.

A preacher I heard recently who also grew up in the sixties, said of the church at the time, "All the time they were telling us to change to be like Jesus, but in actuality they were asking us to change to be like them!"

In church I see a young woman with purple coloured hair who loves Jesus and is winning more people to him in the few years she has been saved than I have ever done. That would not be tolerated in my early days, she would be expected to change. Today I am so happy to see her ascend the hill of the Lord (purple hair and all) and worship him in Spirit and truth.

(I still don't think anything goes, however nowadays I tend to try to see more of what is within, than what is on the outside. I already hear some distant voices arguing the outside is a reflection of the inside, but I am happy to go with what I have written)

So as we open our bibles today let us expect the word of God to challenge us and let us be brave enough to make the changes. Don't let us be like the lady who prayed in the prayer meeting, "Lord he needs you, send someone to tell him." If God convicted her, she needed to do it. Or like the person who visited the sick woman who had missed church through illness and told her, "That word in church this morning was just for you." When we read or hear God's word it is generally light and life to our own souls.

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